TRAINING & LAW ENFOR The Training function plans and coordinates all training Sheriff’s Office employees undertake throughout the year. Certified and corrections officers in Tennessee are required to complete 40 hours of training each year to maintain their certifications. It is the duty of the trainers to assure all P.O.S.T. (Peace Officers Standards and Training) certified, corrections, and civilian employees receive their required professional development training. P.O.S.T. certified deputies are trained in a variety of specialized law enforcement subjects. The Sheriff’s Office also conducts in-service training for Maryville, Alcoa, and Towsend police departments, Metropolitan Airport Authority, as well as the security officers at Blount Memorial Hospital. This assures that all law enforcement officers in Blount County receive the same training, allowing for efficiency and professionalism while working together on joint incidents and operations. The Sheriff’s Office Training Facility is located off William Blount Drive. It encompasses close to 55 acres and includes a low and high ropes course, a five acre driving track, and a 21-lane covered firing range. The ropes course and firing range are both used by the Sheriff’s Office and military for training. The firing range includes a bullet trap system and electronically controlled targeting system. Overhead baffling assists as a sound barrier and helps to prevent ricochets and stray rounds from leaving the firing area. The Air National Guard assisted with the financing and labor for much of the work at the range. In exchange the ANG utilizes the range occasionally for training. The Sheriff’s Office also utilizes a shooting simulator located at the training facility. This system was purchased at no cost to taypayers with drug funds, and is used to train deputies and other law enforcement officers in realistic events and use of force situations. In 2007, the Sheriff’s Office started a Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy. The Training Academy is a great success. To date, close to 400 recruits from all corners of Tennessee have graduated from the para-military academy. During the 12 week, P.O.S.T. approved academy, recruits learn all aspects of law enforcement, including criminal justice, firearms, emergency vehicle operations (EVOC), report writing, defensive tactics, basic police tactics, DUI, traffic accident reconstruction, as well as other law enforcement-related classes. Recruits are also put through a rigorous physical fitness program, and they are required to meet physical standards set forth by the Cooper Institute, a global leader in preventative health research. The BCSO is also certified through the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) to train corrections officers. New corrections officers must attend a three week TCI Basic Training course. New corrections officers learn defensive tactics techniques, firearms, TASER and chemical spray certifications, transport procedures, as well as other corrections-related topics. New corrections officers also learn the importance of physical fitness for duty. The Sheriff’s Office holds one to two corrections training classes a year, based on need. 22
CEMENT ACADEMY 23
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